N7: Thanatos
by Kori Kitsune the Ice Ninja
Summary: With the passing of one great evil, another rises to take its place. Follow the journey of a team of N7 Marines as they are pulled into a new whirlwind of chaos. (is also on my Deviantart)
1. Introductions Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Mass Effect universe. The N7s in this story were co created by myself and my friends. Please don't steal. But Fanart would be appreciated.**

Admiral Steven Hackett lets out a soft sigh as he relaxes into his command chair. After the battle for Earth and Shepard seemingly destroying the Reapers, the rebuilding process began as soon as it was possible. In front of him, the galaxy map swirls and glows with a constant stream of information coming in and being processed by the powerful super computers of the Dreadnought _SSV Kilimanjaro_. Some things he recognized, others were a mystery to him. He closes his eyes and lifts an aged hand to his forehead. As he presses his fingers gingerly against the tension hiding beneath his rough skin, hearing the footsteps of a young looking 2nd Lieutenant approaches him. Hackett lifts his head and locks his steel blue eyes on the younger officer, making the woman flinch slightly as she stands at attention. The admiral stands up, bringing his body up to its full height, and moves closer to the glowing galaxy map. "Report," he says simply, letting his eyes move across the slowly turning hologram. The lieutenant nods as she lifts up her arm. Within an instant, her arm is covered by the brilliant orange glow of her omni tool as she retrieves the necessary data.

"There has been a single encrypted message that I have been told is for you sir. It reads as follows. 'Unto the mighty Zeus, I bring grand greetings and salutations. Far and wide I have searched for those that your highness has called and found each of them, although I must say it was not easy. Herein lies the information you seek. May it serve you well Thunder God. The Death Wasp hunts within the ancient city, her stinger bringing misery and despair to her enemies. Apollyon's shield crackles as it protects Paradise, his anger white hot for those that would turn against their own kind. The Corpse Fairy flits to and fro the garden, sewing her seeds of destruction to rid the land of intruders. The Reaper Dragon roars in the desert of seven, crushing Blasphemers with terrible power. Izanami flows like a river through Troy, tranquil and silent until her temper is brought to boil. Anubis silently stalks through Cocytus, reaping souls when the mood takes him. The Widow returns to her web, dissatisfied with her hunt, she prepares for her next prey. Signed Jinsoku Kitsune," the female lieutenant says before lowering her arm. Hackett stands in silence for a few moments before turning on her suddenly. The woman jumps slightly as she is suddenly placed under the admiral's steely gaze once more. "Send the original message to my personal terminal and delete all other copies of the transcript and message," Hackett says as he heads towards the elevator. The woman salutes and quickly heads off to do as he ordered.

As the elevator doors quietly close, Hackett allows a smile to appear on his normally serious features. He had not expected the operatives in question to be found so quickly. But the informant was very good at what she did. It isn't too long before the elevator door opens to the command quarters of the ship. The admiral makes his way to his desktop, which had a single light blinking to indicate that there was a message awaiting him. He unbuttons the top couple of catches on his uniform as he logs into his computer. He plays the message while accessing the decryption software specially programmed by the informant. The words that had been transcribed may have sounded a bit nonsensical, but that was the point. The informant was very thorough so that if the enemy intercepted the transmissions they wouldn't be able to understand it. Hackett watches the screen as the woman's voice begins to come through the speakers. Soft with a hint of teasing. One could just barely hear the accent that told of her Far East ancestry. As the admiral figured, the beginning of the message was dramatic fluff. Sometimes he believed that she spoke just to hear herself talk. At the beginning of the fifth sentence, the decryption software lights up the screen as it begins translating.  
Hackett watches as a name appears on his screen. Lieutenant Commander Vespasia Giorlando. One of the stronger biotic Furies that the admiral knew of. She could have been a staff commander or even a major were it not for a few disciplinary issues. But even with those, she got her missions done, and that was what Hackett needed. But where was she? With the destruction of the Reapers and construction being done on the Relays, several operatives have been unaccounted for. The program continues flashing for a bit before it reveals more information. Feros, the planet that was mostly covered by a ruined Prothean megacity. Interesting and yet an understandable choice of words to describe the person and location. Something blinks on the screen. The admiral looks down at it. A video attachment? To have appeared it must be of interest. He clicks it and leans back slightly as it begins to play.

b~Feros~/B

Captain Halkins checks the heads up display of his Centurion class armor. Shields were optimal, systems read green. He checks over his issued weapon, an M-96 Mattock. The weapon was full and ready to go. He had heard stories of this place. Some sort of ghost would attack all who entered and were not deemed friendly, or something silly like that. He wasn't the superstitious sort. He was a man of science. Everything could be explained through it. "Move out!" he calls out to his troops. The troopers raise their M-25 hornets and move forward. Halkins raises his own weapon and follows after them. They were forced to be close together in their movements because of the massive buildings they had to scour through. Something cracks and crumbles, causing the other troopers to jump. "Keep moving you pansies. It's just some rocks," Halkins declares. There is a slight murmur of dissent, but they keep walking forward.  
"Attention Cerberus troops. You are in a restricted area. Leave now and you will be able to keep your lives. If you continue on any further, I shall happily take them," a loud female voice calls out thorugh hidden speakers. The sudden noise and declaration stops up the assault troops, making them swing their weapons around as they search for the source of the noise. The Centurion growls and moves his weapon around as well. "That's a very nice offer, but I know that only a small group of you Zhu's Hope colonists have military training. Your attempts to scare us are charming, but will not help. We will find you and make you see the error of your ways," Halkins shouts back. An eerie cackle comes over the speakers in response the Centurion's declaration. "Very well," the woman replies. "Keep moving!" the Cerberus captain shouts. The troopers begin their advance, moving a bit more cautiously than before. Halkins could feel his hair standing on end. Something didn't feel right. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was off here. He looks down at the motion tracker and narrows his eyes as he briefly sees a red blip before it disappears. What was that?

"Sir!" Halkins snaps out of his thoughts as one of the troopers in front of him gestures to the motes of light that had begun appearing in the middle of formation. Now he could feel goosebumps forming on his arms. Within the next instant, biotic power explodes outwards in a blinding light and deafening sound. The Centurion is thrown backwards from the power moving out from the single point. The captain coughs as he tries to gain his bearings and clear the stars dancing in front of his vision. He could hear the sound of his troops screaming. He slowly sits up, only shaken up due to the fact that his suit had shields. His eyes widen as he watches a feminine form smash her foot through the helmet of one of the pleading troopers. Blood, gore, and metal splatter over her brilliant red armored form. 'Damn it! Who is this?' Halkins thinks as he reaches for his rifle. She turns towards him, the pure white eyes of her mask locking onto his body as he wraps his hand around the grip of the Mattock. His breathing increases as she stalks closer, a dark purple black cloud radiating off of her body. With every step she took, his discomfort rose. What was she?

As he lifts up his rifle, she disappears with a ripping snap and reappears in the same manner, her hand now pushing the barrel to the side. At this close proximity, he could now clearly see the N7 emblem over her right breast. It all made sense now. The power, the ruthless efficiency, of course Spec Ops was behind it. Purple-black energy crawls across his body as his armor screams at him about his shields being completely drained. Halkins screams as it feels as though his body is being burned alive from the inside. He writhes in pain as he tries to move away, but cannot break his eyes away from the haunting white gaze of the woman standing over him. He sees her right hand cock back, biotic power coalescing around it as it moves. "Who are you?" he asks, pain making his voice tight. He watches as the fist slices through the air towards his head. Time seems to slow as the appendage comes down. He watches the glass of his helmet stop it advance for a split second before it cracks and shatter, throwing Halkins into death's sweet embrace.

b~Fifth Fleet _SSV Kilimanjaro_ Admiral's Quarters~/b

Admiral Hackett taps his chin lightly as the video feed cuts to static. She seemed a bit ruthless, but not any more so than other marines he had dealt with. He quietly catalogues off her brutality as the decryption software brings up the next line. Staff Commander Trenton Willis. He held a many decorations upon the battlefield for rescuing troops who were under heavy fire from the enemy. Many thought of him as a Guardian Angel of sorts. He was a natural in the use of the omni shield as both an offensive weapon and defensive tool, and sometimes went out of his way to show it. All in all, a good officer and skilled combatant. The software continues the decryption, revealing his location to be Eden Prime. Again the software displays that there is a vid to view. Hackett leans forward slightly and opens it.

b~Eden Prime~/B

Jimmy Falks grins as he follows his friends, two males and four females, around with his video recorder. With all the devastation to his Eden Prime in recent years, it felt good to be able to go out and enjoy the sunlight from time to time. He tilts the camera up to stare at the clear blue sky for a few moments. He swings the camera back down to catch the backs of his teenage friends still moving around a head of him. "Hey! Wait up guys!" he calls out to them. "Come on Jimmy! You gotta hurry up or they'll notice we're gone before we can do anything," one of the dark haired teens shouts back. "Yeah right Peter. Everyone is busy repairing things after that last attack. We'll be fine," Jimmy retorts as they come up to one of the ruined square buildings. One of the females of the group, a brunette, smiles and strikes a pose as Jimmy puts the camera on her. Jimmy chuckles and gives her a thumbs up. "So this is it Peter? This is where Shepard fought Cerberus?" another of the females asks. "Yep. You can even see the scoring where some rounds hit the wall," Peter replies. Jimmy brings the camera off of the brunette and takes a look at the gouges that had been put into the wall by some sort of powerful weapon. The sounds of automatic weapon fire causes all of the teens to become still.

"What was that?" whispers the brunette. "Sounded like gun fire," Jimmy replies. Peter shushes them and they all wait in silence. Again the sound comes, this time louder and more distinctive, accompanied by shouts. "Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit…." repeats the third boy. "Quiet," Peter says sharply. Jimmy swings the camera back and forth between Peter and the panicking boy. The girls had all huddled up against the wall together. Another burst of automatic fire is accompanied by the sounds of multiple dying screams. The sound of boots slamming against the rooftop draw the camera lens and the eyes of the group up to watch a black suited being drop down from above and land into a roll. Jimmy follows it with the camera, taking in the female figure and the single red optic. The black suited female gets up and barely seems to register the group as she continues moving, seeking cover. "Jimmy look out!" The teen spins around in time to come face to face with a female figure dressed in four eyed white suit. Jimmy takes a few steps backwards before stumbling over his feet and falling to the ground. The camera stays focused on the white suited female as she raises her gleaming blade over her shoulder. The blade begins its travel through the air, aiming to cut the male in half.

A shadow goes over the white woman as something drops down and stops the blade. The glowing shield crackles as flame leaps from its surface and onto the white armored woman. The assailant screams as brilliant orange flames leap across her body. Jimmy stares up at the golden armored male that was crouched before him. With a grunt, the newcomer pulls his shield up and slams it against the twitching woman. Jimmy winces at the sound of the impact of the woman's body against the wall, a sickening crunch of bone giving against metal. The teen gathers up his camera and aims it towards the head of his savior. The N7 emblem is shown briefly as the camera travels up the front of the rescuer's body. The crimson face plate seems to stare back at the camera for a moment before a high pitched whine fills the air. The N7 grabs the teenager by his shirt and pulls him forward, causing Jimmy to tumble again. A rifle report is almost instantly followed by the crack of the round hitting the savior's shield. "You play with fire, you're going to get burned!" the N7 declares as an omni tool beeps.

Jimmy recovers and picks up his camera, aiming it towards the screaming and burning woman in black. The N7 places a hand on the teen's shoulder and chuckles. "I didn't think you would flip out over me saving your life, but your enthusiasm is appreciated," he jokes. Jimmy couldn't help but crack a smile and laugh, letting the fear exit his body through that coping method.

b~Fifth Fleet _SSV Kilimanjaro_ Admiral's Quarters~/b

Hackett leans back and lightly strokes his beard. That vid showed just what Trento was known for. Efficiency, bravery under fire, and the willingness to put his body in harm's way for others. A small smile plays across the old man's lips as he nods in acceptance of this. He would be a balancing factor to the team. He closes the video and moves on to the next dossier that had been revealed. 1st Lieutenant Faereni Jonston. Another peculiar case of good officer with strange tendencies. She had led many a marine into dangerous territory to rob the enemy of key assets as a squad lead within the Bridge Burners outfit. A technical genius and brilliant explosives expert. Unfortunately, she often lost members of her team on those missions. And instead of becoming sullen about it, she was known to always have a positive demeanor at the end of each mission. This led to others not wanting to not only field her, but none would willing go on missions with her as well. Last, Hackett had heard, she was left aboard _SSV Midway_ awaiting orders. It seemed as though she had finally gotten some action. The screen glows as it reveals her location. Benning. A major producer of food for the Alliance that was supposedly overrun by the Reapers in the beginning. Desperate times called for desperate measures. The computer beeps as another video clip shows itself. What would this one show? The admiral clicks it and hopes for the best.

b~Benning~/B

Private Greg Jennings sighs as he reloads his M-8 Avenger. The grey rifle hisses as it vents the heat into the air. He looks over at the Cannibals and Marauders that were bearing down on his position. He really hated being bait. He takes a pair of deep breaths before lifting up his rifle and letting loose, shouting a mighty battle cry as he empties his thermal clip. A pair of the Cannibals would cry out, flailing their gun arms up as their faces disintegrate under the hail of gunfire. His rifle beeps empty and he drops back down behind cover to reload. They were running towards him now. He could hear their misshapen feet pounding the ground as they close the distance. Jennings wasn't ready to die, and would fight to his last. Just about everyone else in the battalion that had been sent here was dead. They were so few and far between that they now went out in teams of two. Today, he had drawn the short straw. The private pops up from cover in time to see a Cannibal roar in his face. His left hand grabs the beast by its lower jaw and he grunts as he pulls it over the barrier he was using. He then flips out his omni blade and slams it down into the face of the reaper troop.

The young private felt extremely pleased for a few seconds, he might just live through this. Then the burst from the Marauder's rifle bounces off of his shields and makes him drop back down behind cover once more. "Shit shit shit," Jennings curses as he tries to jam in a new thermal clip. His motion sensor showed that the Marauder and Cannibal were right behind him. This was not a good time to not be able to shoot. Suddenly, Jennings hears the sound of rotten flesh bursting following a single loud report roars over the noise of the battlefield. "Aw come on Jennings, you aren't even trying. You are lucky that I had already recovered that capacitor or you might have been in serious trouble," a female voice says over the squad com. "Really Lt? I think that we are a bit too busy trying to survive. Maybe you should hold of f on the scrap collecting until we are out of danger?" Jennings shouts back. "Aww pish posh Jennings, one must always strive to collect anything that would give them an advantage over the enemy," the female voice replies. The private could hear the pout on her voice and it causes him to sigh. "Yes ma'am," he says dejectedly.

"Well since you have survived this long, I will give you a bit more assistance," the Lieutenant replies. Jenning raises an eyebrow slightly as he catches a sudden glow and beeping off to his left. He turns in time to see a crimson combat drone spark to life. "Drone Cee Arr Dash One at your service," the drone says in a voice that could only be described as not only low, but both smooth and rough at the same time. The private stares at the constantly whirling ball of red energy and shakes his head. "Ooo I see that the Marauder dropped a relatively undamaged Phaeston. Been awhile since I have been able to get my hands on one of those. Also private…" The female voice pauses for a few seconds before the roar of the sniper rifle causes Jennings to look up. He hears it hit something solid and slowly turns, following the quickly disappearing trail of the round's path. "Deal with that Brute would you?"

The marine soldier lets out several curses in quick succession as he watches the glowing eyes of the hulking Reaper turn and focus on him. CR-1 spins on its axis as the massive monster roars and begins its advance. Jennings lifts up his rifle and begins firing while retreating. The combat drone, however, floats placidly beside him, keeping its glowing eye on the advancing threat. "Worthless piece of tech! Some help you are!" the private snarls at the unhelpful A.I. floating beside him. He then cocks his arm back and throws an incendiary grenade at the Brute. The massive reaper roars in pain and anger as its body is lit aflame by the attack, and halts briefly. Jennings watches as its eyes turn red and it charges faster than the soldier thought it could move. The private scrambles backwards and feels something catch his foot. He lets out a yelp as he falls and hits the ground hard, the wind leaving his lungs in an undignified oomph! Jennings screams as he watches the massive claw draw back, intent upon ripping through his armor.

The blow never lands. As the Brute brings its massive melee attack forward, CR-1 floats between it and Jennings. "Kekekekeke DIE SCUM!" it declares as it sends a volley of missiles into the Brute's chest. The monstrosity stumbles backwards, off balanced by the sudden attack. A bolt of lightning leaps from the glowing eye of the drone and strikes the monster in the face, causing another howl of pain and anger to tear through the air. Jennings gathers his wits enough to load in a new thermal clip and scream as he pelts it with automatic weapon fire. The Brute lets out another roar and charges through the combat drone, now clearly intent on ending the private's life. Regardless of this, the marine fires until his weapon goes empty. The Brute comes into striking distance and another loud report rings out. The light leaves the Brute's eyes as it stumbles forward a few more paces and falls. Jennings rolls to the right to evade the claw, but is not able to get out from under the monster. He curses loudly as the beast lands on his lower half. Luckily, his shields held, but he was stuck.

"Come on private, we don't have time for you to be lazing about. This sector is cleared and secured, but there are plenty more places to check out," the female voice from before calls to him from the other side of the fallen brute. "I would love to do that LT, but I am kinda stuck under this corpse," Jennings calls back. He hears the sound of footsteps and turns his head to see his superior come to stand off to the side. What she wore looked more like a jumpsuit with armor plating rather than armor. The jumpsuit itself was a dark yellow or brown color, it was hard to tell in this light. But the armor, that covered her arms, lower legs, abdomen, collarbone, and head, was a brilliant red. Even from his trapped angle he could see the white N7 lettering over her right breast. It was then that the private wondered why the brass back at Alliance headquarters thought it was a good idea to leave the breasts slightly accentuated and exposed. He quickly banishes the thought as he watches her kneel down and begin fiddling with something that he couldn't see. "Well then, we are just going to have to get you unstuck," the N7 says as she stands back up and quickly puts some distance between them. "Um…LT…?" Jennings asks. "Fire in the hole!" The private feels his stomach sink. Surely she didn't- His thoughts are interrupted as an explosion rips through the brute's body and sends the young marine tumbling end over end away from it. "Step lively private, we've got a mission to attend to," he hears her call out to him. Jennings sighs as he lays there. Worst…day…ever…

b~Fifth Fleet _SSV Kilimanjaro_ Admiral's Quarters~/b

The admiral leans back, closing his eyes as he rubs the bridge of his nose. As skilled as that N7 was, she could pose a problem to the mission. Hopefully, the others that had been selected would be able to keep her in line. Hackett stands up and removes his jacket, stretching slightly. How many more files did he have to go through? He places the jacket on the back of his chair and heads to the miniature refrigerator next to his desk. He opens it and pulls out a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy and a chilled glass. He pours himself a bit of brandy and sits back down. It was going to be a long evening.


	2. Introductions Part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Mass Effect universe. The N7s in this story were co created by myself and my friends. Please don't steal. But Fanart would be appreciated.**

Admiral Steven Hackett brings the chilled glass of brandy to his lips and takes a small sip. He is about to look at the next portion of decoded message when his door beeps. The older officer stifles a growl as he darkens the screen and stands, moving to answer the disturbance. He presses the release and the door hisses open, revealing the cook's assistant with the evening meal. A small smile breaks out upon the admiral's face as he accepts the food. His people knew that he sometimes worked himself too hard and forgot to eat. It pleased him to see that they tried to take care of him as he led them from danger to danger. Hackett returns to his desk and sets the food down next to his computer. He takes another sip of his brandy and sits down in front of the computer, activating the screen.

Immediately, the next dossier comes up. Staff Lieutenant Reden Yan. Admiral Hackett lets out a short laugh as he gazes upon the face of the man selected. He was a powerhouse. Son of high ranking special operations operator, he came late into the military as he did a bit of soul searching. Once in, he showed his arrogance and tenacity for getting the job done. The former rubbed a few officers the wrong way, but the latter helped him achieve promotions, despite a few disciplinary issues that plagued him. Hackett recalled that Reden had put a senior officer through a wall because he tried to order him to do something menial. He had broken another's jaw for a petty insult towards his father. The admiral had the pleasure of overseeing that court martial personally. The intensity he had seen in the young man's eyes moved him to have the case dismissed. The video light blinks and Hackett activates it, curious as to what he would see.

~Tuchanka~

Sprax grumbles softly as he checks over his weapon. He was annoyed that he had been placed in the platoon with the human. The armored male stands about as tall as an average Krogan and wears a set of armor made of sharp angles and flat diamond like shapes. Primarily black, the armor is also colored with green detailing and red lights. The human seems to talk to himself as they stand there, waiting for the enemy. Sprax growls and stomps his way over to the other male, not caring that the platoon leader had ordered them to play nice with their newest addition. "Human, are you sure you are in the right place? Doesn't your kind prefer to fight from far away?" the young Krogan growls. For a few moments, the armored man does nothing to acknowledge Sprax's taunt. His head shifts slightly, but the visored face never turns to directly meet the Krogan. This raises the ire of Sprax and he takes another step forward. "Human! I am talking to you!" he snarls. The armored male continues to ignore him, but Sprax's shouts have gathered the attention of his brethren. The other Krogan mutter amongst themselves and watch with extreme interest. The Krogan soldier growls and places a single three fingered hand on the human's shoulder pauldron.

The reaction is instant. Sprax's eyes widen as his hand pushes past the point he was expecting, shifting his weight forward and putting him off balance. The human simultaneously grabs his wrist and turns, putting body against the Krogan's front. The alien soldier barely has time to yelp as his body is tossed over the human's shoulder. He hits the ground with a solid oomph and hears the rasp of a metal weapon being drawn before the tip of a knife is placed in a spot right below Sprax's frontal plate. The Krogan looks up in amazement and fear, holding his body completely still while staring at the N7 that was on the chest of the human soldier's breast plate. There is a soft crackle as the human's external speaker comes on. "Touch me again and I will rip the plate right off of your head," the N7 states. There is no aggression in his voice that Sprax could hear. There didn't seem to be any emotion at all except for boredom. The Krogan knew that the man was not merely making a threat, but a promise, and he could hear his brethren shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. A loud laugh comes from the back of the pack and the other Krogan part as the scarred Platoon leader strides up from the outside of the group.

"Well played human. You must have a quad to threaten a Krogan on his homeworld surrounded by his brothers with the removal of his plate," the elder Krogan says as he comes to a stop beside Sprax's unmoving form, "What is your name?" The human's visored face looks up, but doesn't remove the blade from where he had it nestled underneath the bony plate on Sprax's head. "Staff Lieutenant Reden Yan, an N7 from the Alliance. Part of the Destroyer Corps," the black and green armored human says simply. "I am Torlack, commander of the Tenth Scout Platoon of Clan Nakmor. I like your spirit and because of this, I will ask you this once, release Private Sprax. We have a common enemy waiting to tear us to shreds, no need to waste energy making it easier for them," Torlack says with a wide Krogan grin upon his face. Sprax watches as the human surveys the area. He doesn't feel the pressure let up from the knife just waiting to tear off the plate it was nestled beneath. Lieutenant Yan then shrugs his shoulders and pulls the blade free, standing up as he sheathes the blade.

The young Krogan soldier quickly gets up and dusts his body off. He throws a glare at the human and is met with a swift headbutt to the forehead. Torlack lets out another laugh as he slaps Sprax across the shoulders as he stumbles backwards. "Watch this human carefully Sprax. You could learn a thing or two from him about what it really means to have quads the size of a Reaper," the platoon leader says as he strides off to go see the rest of the troops. The younger Krogan soldier rubs the impact point as the human walks back to where he had been before the confrontation. He could hear others chuckling at the human's display, and found a smirk playing across his own face. The hum-no Lieutenant Yan had earned his respect. If he was this brutal with his allies, Sprax couldn't wait to see what he would do to the enemy. "Reapers inbound!" comes a call from far off. The air is filled with the sound of weapons being drawn and powered up. Sprax turns and grins, welcoming the oncoming battle. Out of the corner, a sudden glow catches his eye. He turns back to see what was making the glow.

The red light of Reden's armor had intensified ten fold. His visor now shines a golden color as he flexes his body. A low growl seems to rumble from the armor as the image of something seems to ripple across it. Sprax had never seen anything like this before. It was as if there was a beast living within the very circuits of the armor that the human wore. The firing had begun and the Krogan turns in time to blast a Cannibal into pieces. The armored human hulks past him and grasps a Marauder that was hiding behind cover. He lifts it up and over with one hand before crushing its skull with a stomp of his boot. Blue blood splatters everywhere as Reden presses against the wall and begins returning fire. Sprax feels his blood boil and he lets out a battle cry. "FOR TUCHANKA!" he declares before he rushes forward. As he moves forward, others join him. And to his right, much to his satisfaction, Reden charges with them.

~Fifth Fleet _SSV Kilimanjaro_ Admiral's Quarters~

Admiral Hackett closes the video with a slight shake of his head. Of course the lieutenant would befriend the Krogan through violence. It was his way. Hackett was glad that the Alliance brass had seen fit to send him as an envoy, of sorts, to Tuchanka. He closes the video and moves on to the next dossier. First Lieutenant Rin Kusanagi. Hackett's rests his chin on his thumbs and presses his fingers over his mouth as he reads the profile. She was in the top percentile of her class when it came to infiltrator training. She grasped the cloaking technology as if it were second nature. She was naturally athletic and flexible, which allowed her to get into spaces that others wouldn't necessarily fit into. The only negatives that the admiral could see, was that she was a loner. She did not work well with others in the slightest. There were a few flags in her file where she went off mission and did not cooperate with the team she had been assigned to. The mission still had been completed, but her superiors felt it necessary to highlight her lone wolf activities. Hackett makes a mental note of it, but knew that it was too late for much of a change. The video icon blinks and the older officer clicks it.

~Illium~

Felli taps the camera to make sure it was functioning properly as she looks at herself in the mirror. She examines the form hugging azure and green body suit/armor that not only accented her blue skin but also her green eyes. She had been working side by side with the local Illium police force ever since arriving planetside after the fall of Thessia. She smiles at herself as she heads out of her room and to one of the nearby aircars. As she drives, the HUD displays the assignment she had today. Apparently there were several Cerberus troops seen on the ground, dealing with a local human contractor. The eyewitness who had reported this had disappeared soon after. Felli sighs as she directs her vehicle towards where the now deceased informant had identified the meeting taking place. She weaves her vehicle easily through the lanes of aerial traffic and down to the landing pad nearest to where the sighting had been reported. Her vehicle lands softly and the whine of the engines slowly fade away into nothing. She reaches back and grabs her trusted Mattock and Disciple. Once she is sure that they are properly attached, she seals up her vehicle.

As she takes a few steps towards the nearest door, she hears the whine of another air car descending from the sky. She spins around, bringing the assault rifle up to her shoulder. Had they already been tipped off to her coming? It was quite possible. Her body glows with biotic energy as she awaits the owner of the vehicle to park. The black aircar lands gently and opens up to reveal a magenta skinned asari. Almost immediately, Felli lowers her rifle and grins. "Well now, look who decided to show up for work," the azure asari teases as she places her weapon back behind her. "Yea yea, I got told while I was en route to the station. Not my fault I was a bit busy last night," the other asari replies as she checks her Acolyte and her Disciple. "Lured another young woman to your bed, Giata?" Felli asks as she turns back towards the doorway that she had been heading towards. "A young man actually. He had tanned skin and the prettiest green eyes," the magenta Asari replies. Felli looks over her friend slowly, she wore a light purple and orange jumpsuit that accented her skin and eyes, similar to how how Felli's own outfit did the same thing. "You ready?" she asks as she stands next to the door, her left hand glowing as she readies to blow the door open. Giata nods and primes her shotgun. "Always."

With a blast of biotic energy, the door is ripped from its hinges. The two Asari commandos slip silently into the dimly lit corridor. Their eyes scan the area as they move with fluid trained precision down the hall. Felli keeps the Mattock pressed into her shoulder as she continues moving forward, looking from side to side from time to time to make sure that she had missed nothing. She knew that Giata had her back. The two of them had been on hundreds of missions together throughout their lives and this was just another mark on the wall. The blue Asari comes to a stop against a wall and motions for Giata to take a flanking position on the other side of the door she was next to. The other Asari nods and presses her back to the wall, ready to go. Felli counts down on her fingers, but stops short of finishing. Her eyes narrow as she notices that the lock on the door was disengaged. She directs her partner's attention to it before pressing on the door. The portal slides loosely open. The two commandos narrow their eyes and ready their weapons as they move into the darkened area. The office hallway is darken as if the lights had been taken out. A few of the emergency lights glowed, but other than that there was no light or movement. Felli had an uneasy feeling about this, but still clicks on her flashlight.

The first thing her eyes come upon is the body of a dead Cerberus trooper. Crimson blood painted the lower half of his armored form as he sits against the wall. Felli kneels down to investigate the wound a bit closer. She hears Giata move into an overwatch position as she lightly prods the dead body. The blood had barely begun to dry, which means that the kill had happened recently. The only thing she found was a small incision in the enemy's torso. Whoever did this had used an incredibly sharp blade.

Was there another person that they had to worry about now? Felli did not like this one bit. The azure Asari stands and begins moving forward again. As she inhales, she notices the metallic tang of blood in the air. She looks back at Giata and nods to her. The magenta Asari nods back and tenses her body. They come to a stop to one of the rooms of the office and slowly push the door open to investigate. Another slaughter. Several troopers and a pair of centurions lay in pools of their own blood. When Felli moves closer to inspect the wounds, she sees a few gunshot wounds as well as small incisions. When this person had struck, the Cerberus troops had barely had time to react. Only one of the Centurions and a couple of the Troopers had their weapons in hand. Inspecting the armed Centurion shows Felli that his weapon had been cut cleanly in half.

"What the hell is going on?" the azure Asari thinks aloud as she stands up and moves towards the door. Giata eyes the cut weapon and whistles softly. "I've never seen damage like that before. But this just means we are going to have to be extra careful," she says as she follows Felli out. The pair head out into the hall and continue deeper into the office area. For the most part, the floor was quiet and devoid of any signs of life. Even so, the two Asari continue cautiously, weapons ready. Felli pauses slightly as she thinks she sees something flicker at the end of the hall. She taps Giata on the shoulder and points forward, her partner nods and the two of them move forward. As they reach the end, she shakes her head. "Perhaps you need a bit of release Felli," Giata teases as she lightly punches her friend in the arm. The blue Asari frowns briefly before laughing and nudging her magenta partner in the side in response.

A sudden scream brings the pair out of the friendly jabs. Felli pushes the emotions from her face as she begins running towards where she heard the sound come from. She could hear Giata hot on her heels and she urges her legs to go a bit faster. They come to an open office door. With weapons raised, they enter. Their eyes are first captured by the sight of a headless female body in white armor. With the absence of a head, Felli could only assume it had been vaporized by a high powered round. A little further into the room, they find another mutilated corpse. Left hand, right arm, and head all cut off cleanly and laying close to the body. Giata curses softly and that brings Felli's attention up to the desk. A human woman, more than likely in her thirties, sits in the chair behind it. Her eyes move around as mouth works but no air comes through. It is then Felli realizes that her throat had been slit, blood was covering the front of her torso. "What the fuck?! Felli over there!" Giata shouts as she points her flashlight to the right of the dying body. The blue Asari brings her rifle to point in the same space as the attacker decloak.

It was clear to see that the one they had in their sights was female. Her armor hugs her curves nicely. The armor was primarily black with crimson detailing. The few lights that were upon her body glow a soft royal blue as she turns towards them, a gray sniper rifle in her hand. A type of sniper rifle she had never seen before. The visor that covers her face was a pale fresh snow white and sends chills down Felli's spine. "Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air!" Giata shouts. The blue Asari merely continues to keep her sights on the woman before them. She doesn't move to comply. Instead, the assassin merely tilts her head slightly to the left. "Drop your fucking weapon and put your hands up! I'm not going to tell you again!" Giata shouts once more. This time, the assassin gently deposits the rifle on the desktop and raises her hands up to about head height. The two Asari close in on her carefully, making sure to keep their weapons on the woman's body at all times. Felli moves behind the woman and moves to grab her left hand, which is when everything goes south.

The woman's omnitool lights up and the Asari weapons begin beeping as they overheat, flashlights clicking off. Felli's eyes move down to inspect her weapon and the woman strikes. She spins gracefully to the right, knocking the rifle's muzzle from her to Giata, and kicks Felli solidly in the back, sending her stumbling into her partner. The blue Asari grunts as she hits her partner, who partially catches her. Unfortunately, both were off balance, so when Felli receives a second solid kick to the back, they topple to the ground. Felli and Giata recover quickly, clearing the overheating thermal clips and coming up with their weapons pointed towards where the woman had been standing. Their weapons aim at dark empty air instead of a body. Felli could barely see by the glow of the emergency lights. Neither say a word as they wait for anything to happen. Something falls off to the left and instinctively, both women turn and begin firing. The air is brightened by the muzzle flashes as the rounds tear through what had been an expensive couch. Felli realizes too late that it was a distraction. She hears Giata grunt softly as she turns back around. The blue Asari brings her rifle up towards the wavering air beside her partner. A blazing blade flares to life an instant before it cleaves through the front half of Felli's Mattock rifle. The Asari gathers biotic energy, but stops as the flaming blade comes back down to rest above her throat.

"You aren't designated as enemies, so I do not want to kill you, but if you persist in your violent actions, I will," the assassin says simply. From this angle, and by the light of her blade, Felli could see the N7 that was over her left breast. So that's who she was. "You are Alliance Special Forces," the Asari says as her green eyes move over to Giata, who now lay limply upon the ground beside her. "Yes I am. Do not worry about your friend, she is merely unconscious. As I said, you are not enemies, it would be pointless to end your lives," the woman replies, her tone as hard as steel. Felli nods, and holds her hands up. "So now what?" the Asari asks as she tries to think of her next move. "You should be safe here until you recover. I apologize, but I can't have you impeding me," the woman says. Before Felli can ask her what she means, her vision explodes into stars as a booted foot catches her in the side of the neck. As darkness takes her, she sees the cloak activate and hide the woman from sight once more.

~Fifth Fleet_ SSV Kilimanjaro_ Admiral's Quarters~

Admiral Hackett strokes his well kept beard as the video ends. Lieutenant Kusanagi was a prime Infiltrator, but her lone wolf attitude may be a bit detrimental to the team as a whole. Hopefully these next two will have the leadership ability to command this group. He accesses the next dossier and a small smile forms on his lips. Major Jackson Willis. One of the first N7 Vanguards to join the Slayer program. The new training turned the already powerful biotic into an even more effective weapon against the enemies of the Alliance. He had commanded several hundred missions, having his victories and defeats along the way. But he learned from his mistakes. He had earned the respect of his subordinates and superiors alike. He had even been the one to push Shepard into the N7 program. As Hackett reads on, he notices that Major Willis has connections to each of the other members already selected. Coincidence? The admiral did not think so. He scrolls down to the video and accesses it, curious as to what he was going to see.

~Noveria~

Lieutenant Joleesh quietly patrols one of the major stations in Port Hanshan. He was not really one for the cold weather, but it was his duty to protect this planet along with the others of the STG assigned here. Even with the Reapers gone, Cerberus was still out there, and this was one of the major hubs for cutting edge and bleeding edge technologies. It had been many months since last they attacked, but Joleesh was always on guard. There had been rumors of a strange armored male appearing at random throughout the station. Despite the best efforts of the Salarians on station, they had not been able to find much on this mysterious person. The thought of this irked Joleesh as well as greatly intrigued him. The lieutenant pauses during his rounds and calls for a routine check in, lowering his Vindicator assault rifle. One by one, all clears come in from across the board. The Salarian turns his head and looks out at the powerful storm that was surrounding them.

'It would be hard to see much anything coming in. The perfect time for an ambush or attack. But only if they had properly configured their ships to deal with the wind and temperatures as well as the frozen water that would stick to the hull and the ship's engines. It was Cerberus, so that was entirely possible. But would it not be wiser to wait till night? No, the guiding lights would give it away. But the lights could be turned off. Far too dangerous to fly in the dark of a Noverian snow storm. Pilot would have to be an expert and crazy.' These thoughts whirl around Joleesh's head as he resumes his patrol, greeting the few security personnel working with him today. As he speaks to one of his Turian compatriots, the skylight shatters.

Cerberus troopers drop down from the ceiling, their rifles coming to bear as they begin firing upon security personnel and civilians alike. "Get to cover and return fire!" Joleesh bellows as he sets up against one of the stone blocks and fires back at the incoming enemies. The other security personnel quickly fall in line and begin assisting as the scientists and business people scatter like cockroaches from the sun. The Salarian lieutenant looks across the sudden battlefield and smiles. With this few troops, it would be easy for them to repel the invaders. "Keep on them! Don't give them an inch!" Joleesh shouts as he inserts a new thermal clip and begins firing once more. His eyes are drawn from the recently downed target by a thin line of crimson slicing through the air.

For a moment it holds steady and a sniper shot rings out above the roar of automatic weapons fire. The Turian he had been conversing with only a few moments before, jerks back as his head is ventilated by the deadly round. "Ah SHIT! SNIPER! SNIPER GET DOWN!" shouts one of the humans as they try and drag the corpse away, to see if he could be saved. Joleesh already knew it was a futile gesture and begins trying to track the one that had killed his comrade. His large eyes spot the black form of the Nemesis skirting around near the back edge of the battle, probably shifting to get a better angle on them. Joleesh raises his rifle to drop her when a Centurion smoke grenade goes off, blinding him. He curses under his breath and swings his rifle back to catch the troop leader moving from cover to cover. He unloads quickly, tearing through shields and armor. As he guns the Centurion down, he hears a strange sound, unlike any he had heard before.

Was that a beam of light that he saw out of the corner of his vision? Maybe a tracer round of some sort. A quartet of these strange sounds go off before Joleesh moves to regroup with the others, the Cerberus forces thinned out substantially from their coordinated counterattack. "How many have we lost sergeant?" the Salarian asks as he kneels behind cover with them. "We have three KIA, one with major wounds, and two with minors," the sergeant replies quickly. "Good good. Let's mop up these remaining intruders and get to helping our wounded," the lieutenant says as he charges his weapon. "ATLAS!" Joleesh turns as the massive mech lands in the center of the courtyard, sending a shudder through the entire station. The Salarian curses lightly. They didn't have the weapons to quickly deal with that sort of weapon. "Get to cover! Stay low!" the Salarian shouts as the Atlas begins firing its main gun, tearing chunks out of the stone structure with every shot. How were they going to deal with this.

"Lieutenant Joleesh of STG. Bring down that thing's shields, and I'll do the rest," an unfamiliar voice calls over the squad com. "Who is this? How did you get this frequency?" the Salarian shouts back immediately. "No time. Bring down the shields and I'll bring down the Atlas," the unfamiliar voice replies. Joleesh growls in frustration as he comes out of cover to hit the Atlas with an Overload. The mech, that had been stomping towards the position of a few others, now turns its attention towards the Salarian and his group. Three shots slam into the stone they were hiding behind as it stomps ever closer. Joleesh pops up and hits it with another Overload, smiling as electricity arcs across its exterior. "The shield is down. You are clear to fire," the STG lieutenant calls out over the com.

Some security personnel begin taking shots with their assault rifles and pistols, drawing the ire of the mech. But then a strange sound fills the air. Joleesh watches as a beam of light cuts through the air and drills a hole through the cockpit canopy of the Atlas. The mech shudders and comes to a stop. The Salarian could hear a few appreciative whistles and nods in agreement. "That should be the last of them," another of the sergeants says across the squad com. "Indeed. Now let's go retrieve that mech," Joleesh replies. The Salarian stands up and watches as a group of five move towards the now dormant Atlas. As they reach it, a pair of beings drop through the gaping hole in the ceiling. Joleesh growls as their biotic lashes crackle to life before they quickly tear apart the men sent to retrieve the Atlas.

"Open fire open fire!" he shouts over the screams of the dying men. The remaining security personnel open up on the new Cerberus Dragoons. Their shots didn't seem to be affecting the advancing enemy units, one of which was focused on Joleesh. The Salarian fires rapidly as the Dragoon crouches, activating his biotic lashes. It looked as though he was going to leap. If the lieutenant timed it correctly, he could get out of the way, but timing was key. The Cerberus soldier leaps and makes it halfway across the distance between them before he disappears in a trail of biotic energy. Joleesh blinks and looks around.

His eyes move back to where the Dragoon jumped from and he finds the man on his back, with another standing over him. The male looked human from the silhouette. The armor looked black for the most part. The Salarian could see a few silver lines crisscrossing his body. The man pulls the sword free of the dead Dragoon and stands up straight, a strange blue purple rifle. The second Cerberus soldier turns suddenly to the new threat. The new soldier spins his sword around as he turns towards the remaining Dragoon. As he turns, Joleesh spots an N7 emblem on the right side of his chest. The Salarian's eyes widen as he understands now why it had been so hard for him to be found. Alliance Special Ops, high level, very dangerous as one Dragoon had already found out.

With a fierce crackle, the acid yellow lashes cut through the air towards the N7's torso. The Vanguard seemingly phases out of existence, the lashes passing through the air where he had been standing. The Dragoon grunts as the tip of the N7's blade emerges through the front of his chest. With a slight shift of his body, the biotic user turns and pushes the blade up through the top of the Cerberus soldier's head. The body drops to the ground as the human cleans the blood off of his blade. "Well that was fun," he mutters as he returns the sword to his back.

Joleesh turns back to his men, making sure everything is alright as he puts his rifle away. When he turns back, he notices that the N7 had vanished. The Salarian chuckles softly and shakes his head. The battle was won and the assistance of the human kept more of his men from dying. That was all that mattered. Now it was time to heal the wounded and fix that hole in the ceiling.

~Fifth Fleet _SSV Kilimanjaro_ Admiral's Quarters~

As the video cuts, Admiral Hackett smiles and leans back into his chair. This was quite a team that had been gathered. They should be enough to deal with the mission that the admiral had planned for them. One of each of the specialties. The spread of rank seemed to be fitting and the skill level of those selected were exemplary. There would be a bit of headbutting, but that was to be expected when gathering any number of special operations operatives. Hopefully Major Willis will be up to the task. Hackett leans forward and picks up his glass of brandy. He was about to toast to the screen, when another dossier pops up. He raises an eyebrow before keying it. His hardened face spreads out in a wide smile as he reads the name and rank of the final N7 selected. Major Keidra C. Shepard. The one who took Torfan and pushed the Batarian incursion out of Citadel space. The daughter of Admiral Hannah Shepard. Although she has been somewhat of a loose cannon since being put in charge of the_ SSV Normandy_, Hackett could not ignore the results she garnered. Stopping Saren Arterius, the Collectors, and even the Reapers. But even so, it was not without its losses. Ashley Williams, Thane Krios, Mordin Solus, and Bakara of clan Urdnot. She had kept friendly casualties to a minimum, but he was sure each loss weighed heavily upon her mind.

The admiral's eyes move down to the blinking video icon, but he did not need to click it. He knew enough about Shepard to know that she was still healing from the near death experience brought on by taking a Reaper beam head on. She was tough as nails and if the informant had selected her, she was combat worthy. His eyes move over the name of the one who had gathered the files, video, and coded the message. Kasumi Goto, truly a gem in the field of Intelligence, another one found by Shepard during her stint with Cerberus. It had all become quite the blessing in the disguise of a curse. He closes down the program and opens a new email. He then begins typing out the official orders to have the seven brought to _SSV Kilimanjaro_. He sends it and closes down his terminal. He turns to his food and smiles as he begins eating. Things were looking to become very interesting very soon.


	3. Meet and Greet

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Mass Effect universe. The N7s in this story were co created by myself and my friends. Please don't steal. But Fanart would be appreciated.**

_**SSV Kilimanjaro **_**Landing Bay~**

Keidra Shepard sighs softly as she disembarks from the A-model Kodiak shuttle that had brought her upon the Alliance Dreadnought. She still found it a bit disorienting that she was basically walking upon a technically vertical surface, seeing as how the decks were arranged perpendicular to the axis of the ship's thrust. She grimaces as she stretches out her body, the healed skin still feeling a bit tight upon her muscles. Part of the reconstructive process of taking a Reaper Beam to the everything. It also felt a bit strange to be in her dress uniform again. She had been so used to not only her armor but just the casual civilian clothes she had been forced to wear during her healing time that the Alliance Blues felt very strange upon her new skin. She shrugs it off and pushes the discomfort from her mind as she makes her way across the bay. Everyone was so busy with their jobs that they did not even notice her arrival. Not that many would be able to recognize her without her signature armor and her squadmates.

Keidra had long ago figured out that it was best to play it safe and keep things close and private. Letting others in would only weaken what one had built up. Even so, throughout all of her trials and tribulations, she broke that rule for one man, Kaidan Alenko. He had been there through a majority of her recent struggles. She had become quite the pillar for her to lean on when things got hard. He had been by her side throughout most of the physical therapy, driving her to push past the pain and get back to her former physical fitness. There had been days where she wanted to give up, but he wouldn't let her. Even with her cursing and complaining, he had stuck it out with her. Now here she was, back active duty and meeting with Admiral Hackett for the first time in a long while. She takes a deep breath as she makes her way into the elevator. Hackett could be trusted. Even when she was with Cerberus, he had still trusted her enough to keep her in the loop.

"Hold that elevator!" comes a voice from the other side of the closing doors. Keidra blinks and watches as the door continues to close. She really didn't want to be trapped in an elevator with some random crewman. A long silent elevator ride would allow her to refocus on the meeting she would be heading into with the admiral. Unfortunately, a booted foot slides between the doors and causes them to automatically reopen. Shepard grimaces slightly as she stands up a bit straighter, eying the new person who had invaded her elevator. He wore a long black trench coat that hid every feature of his clothing aside from the black boots that adorn his feet. Her eyes are briefly drawn to the N7 emblazoned on the right side of his chest, identifying him as a high level spec ops operative. He stands several inches taller than her, his black hair cut close to his head, but still enough to show that he was not balding. His skin color was that of milk chocolate and the smile on his face seemed to sit naturally upon his lips. His dark blue eyes move over her body, widening slightly in recognition. A second later, she identifies the male who had stepped in the elevator with her.

"As I live and breathe! If it isn't the infamous Commander Shepard? Well, let me correct myself, Major Shepard now," he says as he wraps his arms around her and lifts her off of the ground. Keidra grunts lightly, a small somewhat pained smile forming on her lips as her body rejects the sudden shift from stance brought on by the other's hug. "It's good to see you as well Jackson," she says as she gently pats the man's shoulder, partially in greeting and partially to try and get him to stop squeezing her still tender body. "Using first names are we? Is it because you missed me that much, or you don't recall my rank, Constance?" he asks with a teasing grin as he sets her down. Keidra's face darkens slightly and she punches him in the arm. The other N7 laughs softly and dusts off the spot. "I told you never to call me that. And I still don't know how you found out about it," she says as she crosses her arms over her chest.

Jackson Willis was an old friend. He was one of the people who had helped lead her to the N7 program. He was a good guy and a great leader. She had been on several missions with him during her N training. He had gotten close to her through his own means. Namely, digging into her background without her consent. It had annoyed her a bit, but she realized it was nice to have another person she could trust. He was like the older brother she never had. You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family.

"What can I say? I am good at what I do," Jackson replies as he rolls his shoulders backwards, "Though I must say that you look good for someone who charged a Reaper beam." Keidra snorts at him. "Still got a few aches and pains, but I can't complain. I am just glad to finally be back on active duty," she says as she looks up at him, a slight grin on her face. He grins and nods in response, looking at the door. "It must be quite the perilous situation if they need the two of us on the same mission," Jackson says as he crosses his arms over his chest while leaning back against the wall. "Do you have any idea what the mission is?" Keidra asks as she watches him. "Not at all. Standard procedure. They bring us in and then they tell us whatever top secret mission they have planned for us to complete," the male N7 replies. The elevator beeps as it arrives on the designated floor. The pair of N7s let their arms fall to their sides and stand up straight as the doors part.

A pair of security personnel snaps to attention and a female 2nd Lieutenant moves from where she stood in the hallway, datapad in hand. "Major Willis, Major Shepard. I am Lieutenant Shallahan, assistant to Admiral Hackett. If you would please follow me, he would like to meet with the both of you before the rest of the group," she says before turning around and proceeding down the hall. Jackson shrugs slightly before stepping out of the elevator and following the junior officer. Keidra follows suit, nodding slightly to the security personnel that were saluting them as they walk. Jackson's hands disappear into the pockets of his coat, looking briefly each of the conference rooms that they pass. After a few meters, the lieutenant stops beside a door and gestures towards it. Jackson enters first, followed closely by Keidra. Inside, sitting at the far end of a long conference table, is Admiral Hackett. He seemed a bit older than Shepard remembered. The stress of the job had aged him, but his eyes still looked as fierce and determined as always. Both Majors snap to attention and salute as the door slides shut behind them. "At ease Majors. Sit down and let's discuss this mission," Hackett says after returning the salute. They both nod and sit opposite one another, Jackson on the right and Keidra on the left.

"As you both know, the war with the Reapers left our forces scattered and wounded. With the damage to the Relays, it has been difficult to assess our military strength. But now that things are getting back to normal, intelligence is coming through regarding Cerberus movements in different systems. It would seem that they have found a way to reactivate and utilize Reaper tech," the admiral explains, keeping his hands crossed upon the table in front of him. Keidra nods lightly, processing the implications of the information. It all made quite a bit of sense. It was what the Illusive Man had been pursuing before his life had been ended. She frowns softly at the thought of someone actually continuing down that path. She was even more surprised that someone had been able to reactivate Reaper technology. Jackson leans back in his seat and nods softly, his face showing little emotion towards the information. "But we have also been gathering intelligence on our own forces. That asset you acquired, Shepard, has been most ideal in the acquisition of this data, which was used to select the team for this mission," Hackett continues. The lieutenant that had escorted them to the conference room, places a datapad in front of each of the majors.

Keidra picks up the piece of plastic and metal and begins to look over the dossiers loaded to it. She frowns deeply as she looks over the names before her. None of them seemed familiar. It had been quite a while since she last worked with exclusively Alliance troops. She didn't expect to see anyone she knew. Most of her closest allies were members of different species. Quarians, Krogans, Turians, Asari, Salarians, and even a Drell had been under her command. Her gaze comes up to get a look at Jackson over the top of her datapad. The other major had a smile on his face and a knowing look in his eye. Keidra could only surmise that there were names that he recognized, people he knew. Unlike her, he surely had been working with Alliance marines during his time within the military. Jackson then looks up and locks his eyes on Shepard's with a grin. She nods lightly and lets his eyes drift back down to the glowing words for a bit longer before setting it down. A few more moments pass, and Jackson looks up at Admiral Hackett. "Your thoughts on the team?" Hackett asks, looking back and forth between the two majors. Jackson gestures to Keidra, and the Infiltrator sighs, frowning lightly. What a jerk.

"Truth be told Admiral, I don't really have any thoughts on them. I have been working with aliens for the past few years. I haven't really been keeping up with the Alliance military operations. I mean I can read the dossiers on them, but that doesn't tell me much about their personalities. I am a bit ashamed that I haven't done a better job of keeping up with current events at home. I have read up on some of the more large scale operations, but still I don't think I would be very good at dealing with five brand new people under my command, especially if this mission is as dangerous as you make it seem. Seeing as how there are two majors in the group, you must have called us in to see who wanted to be in command of the mission. I do not think I would be suited for the position," she explains, before a smile appears upon her face, "Besides, I really just want to get back out into the field, even if it isn't in a command position." Admiral Hackett meets her eyes evenly and nods in understanding. His gaze then moves over to Major Willis.

Jackson had leaned back into his chair during Shepard's words and seemed quite relaxed. There is a knowing grin on his face. "I have interacted with all of these marines in one form or another. I have a pretty good gauge of their personalities and their abilities. I can lead them to a successful completion of this mission, and take Major Shepard with me. That way, you know you have at least two highly capable leaders upon this assignment, and it will give her a chance to work her way back into the swing of things. Although, for appearance purposes, we can't have two Majors assigned to the same squad. I also suggest a 'temporary' rank adjustment to…say a 1st Lieutenant. No need to throw her into the deep end right off the bat," he says with a slight nod. "It sounds like a good plan Willis, but Shepard is quite famous. How are we going to keep others from realizing who she is?" the admiral asks, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

"Well for one sir, I plan on having my N7s go by their callsigns initially. Most N7s are known by the callsigns given to them while they serve. And since none of the other squad members trained with her, they won't know who exactly she is. Secondly, Shepard was not exactly the most photogenic of beings. It was rare to see her captured on vid or in a picture with her helmet off. And those that were taken seemed to have a way of…disappearing from the net," Jackson says with a soft chuckle. Keidra couldn't help but grin at that little fact. She hadn't really been paying much attention to it. With everything else that had been going on, she never took the time to look herself up on the net. But it was good to know that someone else had been looking out for her. She did like her privacy. And one of the drawbacks of being famous was that everyone wanted to know every little thing about you. "Even I had a bit of trouble recognizing her at first glance Admiral. I doubt others, who are strangers to her, are going to be able to pick up on who exactly she is without digging or getting her to reveal it," Major Willis adds before sitting up straighter.

The admiral keeps his gaze level on the major as he thinks about the options provided to him. He then nods slightly. "Alright, I agree. You seem to know what you are doing Major Willis, so I will give you command of this mission. Shepard, you will be on this mission as well. I hope you don't mind taking on the role of the proverbial grunt," Hackett says as he moves his steel gaze back to Keidra. She smiles and nods. "That is fine with me. I thank you Admiral, for this chance to get back in the field," she says, the smile extending to her voice. "Good. Then we are all in agreement. Major Willis, I am forwarding you information on the ship and crew that will be running it. More mission parameters will be forwarded to you when they come up," Hackett says, pressing a few buttons on the datapad in front of him. Jackson's left arm illuminates as the data is sent to his omni-tool. "If there is nothing else, then this meeting is adjourned," the admiral states with a tone of finality. The two Majors stand and salute before departing from the conference room.

Once the pair was safely within the elevator, Keidra punches Jackson in the arm. "That was really nice of you Jax," she says, the feigned anger on her face not matching the tone of her voice. Jackson chuckles and rubs the punched spot. "Well excuse me, but I couldn't just recommend myself over the great and powerful Major Shepard. Protector of the Citadel, First Human Spectre, Defeater of the Reapers, Uniter of the Galax-" he begins to say. "Yeah, yeah, I get it alright? Sheesh," she interrupts, smiling lightly as she crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the wall. "You're welcome, but you are going to have to get some different rank for that uniform of yours. Since you are now 1st Lieutenant Sights for right now," Willis adds as he leans against the opposing wall. "Understood. Speaking of which, why aren't you in military dress? You do know that as an officer of the Alliance military, you have the duty to uphold and exceed the standards set forth for all other personnel," Shepard states with a grin, looking him up and down again.

"Simply because it is comfortable, Constance. And those rules only apply to the normal marines. We're special forces. As long as it isn't too outlandish, they don't mind it," Jackson replies with a grin of his own. Keidra grimaces again. He was doing that on purpose. He knew how it got under her skin. She scoffs and looks off to the side. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. But I will warn you, some of these marines we will be working with are a bit peculiar. Well, then again, I guess you should be used to dealing with a whole mix of personalities. I have seen some of the intel on everyone you got to work with. Very interesting, especially those Krogan," he says with a grin. Shepard couldn't help but smile and nod at this fact. The elevator slows to a stop and the door slides open. "Well this is my stop," she says as she walks out into the corridor, "Indeed. The team meeting will be in a couple of hours. Conference room 53. I'll send directions to your omni-tool. Don't be late lieutenant," Jackson calls after her before the doors his closed. Keidra shakes her head lightly with a slight smile as she heads to her temporary room. She could catch a few Z's and get the rank before the meeting, a decent way to kill the time.

**~Sometime later~**

Time passes relatively quickly for her and Shepard finds herself walking quickly to the designated meeting room. There were still a few minutes before the start of the meeting when she walks into the room. As the doors slide apart, the sight of four other N7s greets her eyes. Three turn and look at her when she enters. Keidra pauses in the doorway, taking a measure of the others gathered there. Three of the N7s were also in their military uniform and sitting in rank order. Closest to the head of the table was a Staff Commander. He looked a lot like Jackson, but with some differences. The main ones being the scar on the right side of his chin and his amber colored eyes. His uniform looked to be impeccable and for some reason he wore gloves with it. Was he a technician? Perhaps a Sentinel or an Engineer? She makes a note of it as her eyes travel down the line.

The next person seemed rather large, but his uniform still looked proper on him. Not too tight and not too loose. His arms were crossed over his chest and dark green eyes were analyzing her as she analyzed him. His brown hair was a bit long, but well groomed. As was his red and brown beard. She could see some extreme scarring on the lower left side of his face and down the same side of his neck, but couldn't exactly tell what it was from. With his size and from what she could tell of his build, Keidra had no doubt that he was one of the Soldier class. She nods slightly to him before her eyes go to the last person on that side of the table. The woman that sits there wore the rank of 1st Lieutenant and was the very model of what most would call Asian beauty. Her pale skin was flawless and looked to be devoid of any makeup of any sort. Was she a newcomer? That wouldn't be right. There is no way that could be right. Admiral Hackett wouldn't pick someone who was green by N7 standards. Keidra then locks eyes with her and feels a slight shiver run down her spine. The woman's gaze was as cold and dead as the surface of Noveria. It was a bit unnerving, but Keidra moves on to the other side of the table's lone inhabitant.

The single person on the other side was not wearing an Alliance uniform. In fact, she looked to be dressed in street clothes. Her brown booted feet rest on the table's edge, leaning her and the chair she resided in back. The ends of her blue jeans were loose while higher up the legs, the hug the muscles beneath them. A loose fitting unbuttoned red shirt with its sleeves rolled up to her elbows covers the top half of her body. Under the red shirt, is a black one sporting the image of a fully armed Blasto and the words 'Enkindle this!' in vibrant blue underneath. She seemed to be extremely focused on her omni-tool in front of her, which seemed to be outfitted with a set of headphones. A pair sunglasses with circular black mirror lenses rest on top of her head as her brown eyes take in whatever information the little screen in front of her was giving her. Her auburn hair was up in a messy bun. She makes a slightly dissatisfied noise before shifting her position, trying to get comfortable. Perhaps this was one of the ones Jackson had warned her about.

With three chairs on each side, Keidra had little choice other than to sit down beside the Blasto woman, choosing the chair closer to the head of the table. This action only briefly gathers the attention of the one messing with her omni-tool. She takes a quick measure of Shepard before returning to her technology. Keidra sighs softly as she looks across the table, right into the amber eyes of the Staff Commander. The man seemed to be analyzing her still, but not as sharply as before. Keidra offers a small smile and averts her eyes, unsure of what to do. The room is silent other than the occasional soft beep from the omni-tool to her right. None of the others seemed to be conversationalists either, not that Shepard should really be one to point out the flaw she shared with them. How soon until the meeting started? The silence in this conference room was nothing compared to the sounds of battle. Keidra would have much preferred to be staring down a Brute than sitting in uncomfortable silence as she was right now.

The door then opens and in walks Jackson, still dressed in his long coat and a smile on his face. The only difference was the rank of Major now clearly displayed on his collar. "Room…ATTENTION!" the Staff Commander bellows. On trained reflex, every person around the table rises up from their chairs and snaps to rigid attention. Keidra lets out a soft breath of relief as she sees her old friend. As she looks around, she sees the others seemingly taking note of Jackson's appearance. "One, two, three, four, five…that's good enough I guess. Welcome ladies and gentleman to my briefing. I will be your commanding officer for the duration of this mission. Let me be the first to congratulate you on being selected. I know that some of you are going to have conflicts, and that is understandable. But you will work as a team and we will leave no one behind. Follow my orders and we'll get along fine. Do not, and we'll have a chat. Am I understood?" Jackson asks, his tone beginning light but soon rolling into a firm commanding one. "Sir, yessir!" five voices reply in unison. "Good good. At ease," the major says as he relaxes his own stance. Everyone sits back down and keeps their attention focused on him.

"Now then, I'm sure you know every leader has their own style and rules and etc. With me, I don't mind if you want to go by your real name or your acquired callsign, either is fine with me. But for now, I want you to simply introduce yourselves to the rest of the team by whatever name you feel comfortable, your specialization, and your rank," Jackson says before sitting down in the chair at the head of the table. He keeps his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he nods to the amber eyed male. "Starting with you Staff Commander," he says with a grin. The other officer sighs softly before standing, pulling his uniform jacket down to smooth out the wrinkles as he looks around at those gathered in the conference room. "I am Staff Commander Trenton Willis. Most call me Fenrir. I am Sentinel trained in the Paladin specialization. It is a pleasure to meet you," he says as he lets his gaze travel the table, meeting the eyes of every N7 there. There is a small smile on his face accompanying the friendly warmth in his tone. Keidra's eyes widen slightly as she connects the dots. The two were brothers. That's why he looked so much like Jackson.

"I've heard of your work. You have helped many teams get extracted," the bearded Soldier says as he uncrosses his arms. Trenton turns and looks at the man as he stands up. "Staff Lieutenant 808. Yes, 808 is my callsign. I am a Soldier with Destroyer specialization," he says as he looks around at the others. His tone was serious and his voice a bit rough, with the hint of an accent on it. Keidra takes in the sight of the man. He looked as though he was built like an Alliance Dreadnought. He certainly looked like the stereotypical soldier. Massive muscles, probably not so bright, but Shepard knew better than to judge a book by its cover. As he sits down, the woman with the cold eyes stands up and gives everyone a measured stare. "1st Lieutenant Rin Kusanagi. Callsign Karasu. I am an Infiltrator with Shadow specialization training," she says in greeting. Her tone was like a steel sword, cold, sharp, and unyielding. Her diction was perfect. There was no hint of any sort of accent in her speech. Her mannerisms made Keidra a little self-conscious of her own imperfections. But Shepard pushes the thoughts down as Lieutenant Rin sits back down.

All eyes move to the woman in casual attire, who was currently messing about on her omni-tool. She sighs and mutters something under her breath as her omni-tool fades away. She then looks up and around before reddening slightly and standing up. She dusts off her pants and looks around, a small smile on her face. "I'm First Lieutenant Fae. I am an Engineer who got chosen to train as a Demolisher. Happy to be aboard," she says. Keidra could feel the sudden tension in the air sky rocket. She looks across the table and sees anger on the faces of both Fenrir and 808. "You are Fae? _The_ Fae?" 808 asks as he puts both hands upon the table, his voice clearly angry. Fenrir's eyes narrow slightly as he touches his left arm. The Demolisher frowns as she looks at the two of them. "Yes, I am Fae," she answers. "The Cursed Fae? The very same one that nearly got me killed on Ontarom? It must be fate for us to meet again," Commander Willis says softly, his voice low and deadly. Fae frowns and calls up her omni-tool. "If you have something to say-" she begins. "You three will stand down! This bickering is pointless. Now sit!" Jackson bellows from the head of the table. The Demolisher nods and sits down with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the Paladin from across the table.

"Alright lieutenant, you are up next," the major says from the head of the table, smiling at Keidra. The Infiltrator nods as she stands up, straightening her uniform as she stands up and regards her peers. "I am Lieutenant Sights. I am an Infiltrator," she says as she meets their eyes. She keeps her tone even and confident. A soft scoff catches her attention. Her light brown eyes dart to the source of the sound, the other Infiltrator on the team. This time, when Keidra's eyes meet Rin's, Shepard sees contempt. "Major, if I may, what is the need for two Infiltrators on one team?" the Shadow asks, her words laced with annoyance. Keidra could feel a bit of anger rising within her chest. The nerve of the other woman. "I am just following the orders of those appointed over me. If you want to go to Admiral Hackett and complain about his _personal_ choices for this team, then by all means Lieutenant, you have my permission. If that is not the case, then I suggest you button up and do your job," Jackson replies harshly, before a smile breaks over his features, "Besides, she is more distance based and I know just how well you handle close quarters combat."

Keidra sits down as confusion shows on Rin's face. Jackson then stands up and looks out at all the N7s gathered. "Well since you all have introduced yourselves, then allow me to return the favor. I am Major Jackson Willis. Some of you may know me as Inazuma. Others may know me as Azrael. I am a Vanguard with specialized Slayer training," he says as his gaze sweeps the table. Keidra turns and sees surprise on the faces of three of the other N7s. "You are the Inazuma? The one that was reported KIA? The one that knew Shepard? You are him?" 808 asks. "The very same," Jackson replies. Fenrir chuckles softly. "Oh brother, how long are you going to continue to feed off of the fame of finding the mythical Shepard?" he asks. "As long as it continues to get me free drinks," the elder Willis brother retorts with a smirk. Keidra, along with the others, chuckle at this comment, easing some of the tension out of the air.

"Now then, I guess I should tell you all about the mission th-" Jackson begins to say, but the opening of the door interrupts him. Everyone turns to see who was coming in next. Keidra's eyes widen slightly as she gazes upon the person leaning against the door frame. Her black hair was disheveled and covers the left side of her face. On the right side of her head, from the temple down, the hair had been shaved off, but with how dark the fuzz was currently, it had been some time since she had the styling done. Her face was adorned with at least eight different piercings and that wasn't counting the several that could be seen in her exposed ear. The only things Alliance about her outfit were the pants and boots that she wore. Those were very clearly Alliance blue camos, even if she wore them a bit low on her hips. Other than that, everything she wore was nonstandard. The white tank top she wore was half untucked and looked as though she had slept in it. The leather half jacket she wore went down to just below her ribs and seemed to be adorned with all sorts of metal and wires woven into the leather looking cloth.

The woman groans as her single exposed eye looks over the people gathered. The door chimes at her to move so it can close. She grunts and raises one hand up to her face as she walks further into the conference room. Keidra could see that she seemed to be a bit sluggish, but on the high collar of her jacket there sits the rank of Lieutenant Commander. This revelation causes Shepard's eyes to widen in shock. This…woman was a commander? How? What dire strait was the Alliance in to need Commanders who dressed like this? The woman seemed to be making her way back towards the only remaining empty seat before Jackson clears his throat. "Commander, we are sitting in rank order. Your spot is here closer to the head of the table," the Slayer says to her. The woman mutters under her breath, the air around her lighting up with biotic power. Keidra watches as some of the wires react to the biotics, beginning to glow with crimson light and showing the angry looking wasp detailed on the back of the woman's jacket.

The female biotic turns around and stalks over to Keidra before fixing her with a harsh single green eyed glare. "Hey bitch, you're in my fucking chair," she snarls down at Shepard. The Infiltrator could feel the unreleased biotic power buzzing across her skin as she looks back into the single eye of the other woman. Keidra was not one to back down from a challenge. She had faced down tougher odds than this. She had run through a Reaper beam and had even died once. She meets the other woman's gaze evenly, but doesn't move. The biotically charged woman's face turns from a snarl to a predatory grin. "You want to play lieutenant? Fine," she says, her voice low and dangerous. With her eyes locked onto the biotic's single eye, Shepard never saw the uppercut coming. Keidra feels the fist connect with her jaw and stars flash briefly in her field of vision as she is lifted out of her chair. As her back hits the ground, she rolls up to her feet and in a defensive combat stance, hands up and eyes fixed on her opponent. "You're strong, I like that. But I don't think you understand your place," the commander says as she steps over the chair and squares up with Shepard.

"Alright you two, that's enough of that." Keidra is vaguely aware of Jackson stepping in between the two of them. Her eyes stay locked upon the woman with biotic abilities. "Get out of the fucking way. This is between me and her!" the other woman snarls. "Yeah, Inazuma, get out of the way," Shepard adds as she stays in her ready stance. At the sound of the name, the woman's hardened expression seems to soften along with the glow of her biotics. "Inazuma? Jax?" she says softly. The moment her eyes were off of Keidra, the Infiltrator darts forward and sends her fist into the face of the distracted biotic user. Shepard frowns as the green eyed woman only takes a step backwards from the hit. The biotics light up again around her body. "An eye for an eye," the woman says with a dark grin. She reacts quickly, grabbing Keidra's arm and flipping her over onto the table. Shepard sees the woman's fist coming down towards her head and begins to move to get out of the way. But before the blow can connect, the Infiltrator feels the grip of her opponent go slack, followed shortly by a thud.

"Like I said, that's enough. If you would like to continue this, we can do it later during a rondori. But for now squash it," Jackson says as he puts his hands back into his pockets. Keidra rolls over to see the commander lying on the ground, holding her head. Shepard gets off of the table and takes a seat at the far end. Her body was not pleased with the rough and tumble she just put it through, but her pride was still intact. That's all that really mattered now. "Come on now, get up and introduce yourself. I didn't throw you that hard," Jax says as he sits down. "Yeah, yeah…you try getting flipped while dealing with a hangover," she mutters as she slowly stands up again. She clears her throat and rakes her fingers through her hair. "I am Lieutenant Commander Rome. I'm a Fury," she says simply, sitting back down. "So we have Rome, Fenrir, and Inazuma. Sir, if you don't mind, perhaps you could tell us just what this mission is all about? Clearly it is big if it has so many big hitters in it," 808 says as he crosses his arms over his chest.

There were a few murmurs of agreement as all attention went back to the man at the head of the table. "Cerberus seems to be recovering just as much as we are. It would also seem that they have found a way to get Reaper tech up and running again. I know that all of you have come into contact with some form of it in your careers, so you know the implications this has. We are to track down who is doing it and take them out. Destroy their data on the Reaper technology and then come back to the thankless denizens of the Alliance and a bit of R&R. Any questions?" Jackson says as he looks at the N7s under his command. Everyone stays quiet for a few moments before Fae raises her hand. "One question Azrael, how are we going to be moving around? Or more accurately, who is getting kicked off of their ship so that we may utilize it?" the Demolisher asks. The Slayer chuckles and nods softly. "A very good question Fae. To answer it simply, no one. We are being given a brand new _Normandy_-class frigate. The _SSV Midway_. She'll be coming soon to pick us up and then we will be on our way," he replies.

There were a few murmurs in agreement with this plan. The Vanguard nods as he stands up. "I'm glad you are all pleased with this. While on the ship, you may wear whatever you like. We are N7s, we have given up much for others so I feel it is alright to let your hair down when at home. I will not force you to put the N7 red band on your armor if you have removed it. I, personally, am not a big fan of the color. But I will expect you all to work together when boots are on the ground. Am I understood?" Jackson asks. Everyone except the Fury rises up and salutes before declaring, "Understood sir!" in unison. "Good. You are dismissed until summoned," the major says as he returns their salutes.

_A/N-Woo! Finally finished chapter 3. Hope you enjoy it. Read and Review if you like, if not, I won't hold it against you. ^n.n^_


	4. New Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Mass Effect universe. The N7s in this story were co created by myself and my friends. Please don't steal. But Fanart would be appreciated.**

**_SSV Kilimanjaro_**** Conference Room 53~ **

Jackson Willis watches as the N7s file out of the room, all save for one. Vespasia Giorlando, the Adept Fury, sits quietly in her seat. Her eyes stay focused downward, and aside from the rise and fall of her chest and shoulders, her body remains still. The Slayer had an idea of what was going to happen next. He moves from the table and heads over to the door. He activates the locks for the doors before turning around and making a mental list of everything inside of the room. His thoughts are disturbed by a particularly heavy breath coming from the stationary female. The noise draws his azure eyes to her. Her body was tense. Each hand was clenched in a tight fist. She was holding back. Putting up a front as she confronted whatever emotions and demons were bubbling up inside of her. Jax shakes his head slightly. As per usual.

"Ciao mio vespa," he says softly, removing his hands from his pockets as he does. At the sound of his voice, she spreads her feet apart slightly. She places one hand on the table next to her as the blue light of biotics begin to glow around her. "That voice…that name …It is you…you are actually alive," she whispers, keeping her eyes on the ground. "Yes, I am alive and well," Jackson replies as he stands there, not moving from the spot he had chosen. With a frustrated roar, Vespasia launches herself at him, biotic energy crackling around her fist. The Slayer watches the swing. It was sloppy, but there was power behind it. He exhales slightly as he steps to the outside of the punch, bringing his hands up slightly. The Adept growls and turns her body, bringing her other hand up towards him. The Vanguard crosses his arms just as the Throw biotic catches him.

His body is sent across the room and lands on the other end of the table, causing the piece of furniture to tip up. Jackson rolls backwards off of it as Vespasia comes charging through, a biotic charged fist splintering the expensive looking table. He is up on his feet as she closes the distance again, swinging wildly at him. He stays out of contact range, redirecting any blow that came too close that he couldn't dodge out of the way of. There was a lot of rage in that single exposed green eye. He could almost swear that both of her eyes were glowing with the emotion. She lets out another battle cry as she sends one of the chairs flying towards him with a well angled Throw. The Slayer brings up his gloved right hand and directs it at the chair. Light shines through the back of the glow an instant before a Phase Disruptor beam blows the chair into nothingness.

As he lowers his hand, he sees another chair tearing through the air at his head. He drops to the deck and it soars over him, slamming into the massive monitor on the wall behind him. Jackson growls as he pushes off of the floor and moves towards her. Vespasia launches another Throw at him, but this time, the Slayer phases through the attack and keeps moving towards her. There is the briefest look of surprise on her face before she moves to meet him. Biotic light flares up around his body briefly as he Pulls on her. The Fury grunts as she is jerked off of her feet towards him. The Vanguard merely moves out of the way of her path of travel, letting her fly past him and recover. He moves back and gives her space, still not intent on hurting her. The Adept reorients herself a few feet away and spins back around, sending Shockwave at the retreating male.

Jackson's eyes widen slightly before he retaliates with one of his own. The two powers meet in the middle and explode, sending chairs and table bits flying in various directions. He throws up his hands to protect his face, feeling projectiles bounce off of his barrier and coat. If they kept going like this, they were going to tear this whole floor apart. He had to stop her. She shouts another battlecry and rushes towards him. The Slayer lets his body relax and he prepares himself. Her form was sloppy, the raging emotions telegraphed her every swing and movement. As a Vanguard, he was trained extensively in hand to hand combat. She may have had power, but in such close quarters, he would have the advantage. He slides into a defensive stance and raises his arms. He would stop her this time.

She comes at him with her hands and feet this time, the pale blue glow of her biotics sharply contrasting the brilliant crimson of the biotic reactive wires in her coat. He weaves his way through the onslaught for several seconds before he catches her wrists. His own biotics flare up as he holds her in place. With a frustrated growl, she struggles against his hold. His eyes lock onto hers and she freezes. There was the telltale glitter of unshed tears there. Her rage filled gaze softens as she stares into his eyes. "Jax…mio volpe…I…I thought…the reports said…" As she tries to gather the words, the Slayer feels the tension leave her arms, the glow fading from her body. The Major relaxes his grip upon her wrists and pulls her against him. "I know," he whispers softly to her, "I know."

She presses her face into his shoulder and her body shakes as she cries silently. It wasn't something she would ever admit to, and he knew better than to ever bring it up. So he lets out a slow breath and holds her to his body. He could feel his own emotions welling up within him. He couldn't cry, it was something he would never allow himself to do. He had to be stoic and strong. But he felt a sensation of serenity. Something just clicked into place and these dark times seemed a bit brighter. He could feel her relax and pull back from him. She moves the hair from her face so she could properly study him. He brings his hand up and wipes the last remnants of the tears from her face with a small smile. "I thought I had lost you," she whispers softly, turning her head to lightly kiss his palm. "I know…and if I could have told you that I was alive, then I would have. Even so, I did what I could to watch over you," he replies just as softly.

He feels the air stir as her anger begins to rise once more. "Alliance brass thought it was best to make some of us 'disappear' to start up the specialty programs. I was one of their choices and the failed mission with a near 100% casualty rate was the best time for them to do it. Trust me…I was pissed off as hell when I found out about it, but I had my orders and I knew it would be better for the Alliance for me to become a ghost," Jackson explains, anger building on his words. He had woken up in a military hospital with most of his torso bandaged and everything hurting. An admiral had been waiting in his room to debrief him. Had he not been so injured, he would have been more vehement in his argument. But a cocktail of drugs and constant pain dulled his tongue. That and the promise of near unlimited access to the Alliance networks.

"Fuckin' Alliance dickheads! Always bending us over and giving us the shaft! Ugh! Just give me a few minutes alone with them and I'll straighten out those assholes! They have sticks further up their asses than most Turians," Vespasia says darkly, pressing herself into his chest again. "Oh I am quite sure you would. Though, I very much doubt they would be able to eat solid food after you gave them a straightening out," Jackson says as he rubs her back lightly. She shrugs and makes an unintelligible noise. He lets everything fall into silence for a few moments, listening to her breathe. But there were other issues that they needed to speak about. He then moves back slightly, tilting her head up so he could stare into her eyes.

"I heard about Shiala and what Cerberus did to her. I also heard about your three months of down time," Jackson says, his tone serious. He watches her gaze harden as she looks away, but she doesn't turn from the hand tilting her chin up. "You don't know the half of it…" Vespasia replies coldly. "As a matter of fact, I do. An Asari commando who served under Matriarch Benezia during the Saren incident. After she was spared by Commander Shepard, she lived with the people of the Feros colony to make up for what she had done while serving the Matriarch. Her skin was a very interesting shade of green, probably due to the after effects of being a subject of the Thorian. You two met when you were sent to supplement her own, then haywire, biotics. During that time, a relationship blossomed between the two of you," he replies simply. The Adept's eyes widen slightly in disbelief. The Slayer's knowledge was shocking and a bit disturbing.

"How do you know all of that, Jackson?" she asks softly. "As I told you before, I did what I could to watch over you. I will admit, it sounds a bit creepy when you vocalize it, but I saw you, but you didn't necessarily see me," the Vanguard replies with a slight nod. Vespasia frowns softly at this, her brow furrowing in thought. He smiles as he watches her try to recall instances where she may have seen him, but not recognized him. He then brushes his lips lightly against her forehead as something sparks off to the side. He turns to look at a few of the ruined monitors still letting out their dying gasps. He was sure that an alarm had been tripped from all of the damage that the room had sustained during their brief encounter.

"Who were you?" she asks, bringing him out of the damage assessment. Jackson smirks as he looks down at her. "Captain George Haderlin, at your service," he replies, changing his voice to become deeper and more gravelly. Her eyes widen and she punches him in the arm, anger and sadness flashing within her gaze. "You had your missions to take care of and I wasn't technically alive. Secrecy had to be maintained. The consequences for breaking such secrecy would have been dire," he says as he meets her gaze. She sighs and looks away, grumbling softly. The Slayer chuckles and nudges her lightly, but before he could say anything, the sound of pounding fists upon the door interrupts him. Jackson sighs softly and lets a mask of calm authority slip onto his face. He moves to the door and opens it calmly.

"Is everything alright?" the lead security officer asks as the door slides open. "Everything is alright here Chief. You may return to your post," Jackson replies smoothly. "But sir, reports indica-" the chief begins to explain. "I didn't ask for your opinion on the matter. I told you that everything was alright and you are to return to your post, Service Chief. Do not make me repeat myself a third time," the Slayer says, his tone suddenly mirroring the cold razor sharp edge of a master crafted sword. He unconsciously activates his biotics, causing that pale blue glow to appear as an aura around his body. The lower ranking man and his subordinates all flinch as if they were about to be struck. They quickly salute and depart from the area double time. Behind him, Jax hears a soft giggle from Vespasia. "I see you haven't lost your touch," she says with a grin. The Vanguard chuckles as he relaxes, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I guess you could say that. Sometimes, you don't want questions, you just want action," he replies with a grin of his own.

Vespasia chuckles and shakes her head. She moves the hair from in front of her other eye and looks directly at him, a small smile on her face. Jackson returns the smile and wraps his arms around her in a quick hug. "For now we must part ways, but fret not, I shan't disappear into the void this time," he whispers softly to her. She merely nods as she wraps her arms around his abdomen, giving him a brief squeeze. They then disentangle from one another so he can head to the elevator. He had a few things to take care of before the _SSV Midway_ arrived from the space docks. He had to ensure that everything was ready to be moved when it came.

He mentally goes over the list of things he would have to get brought onboard as the doors open. A sound from behind him draws his attention and he whirls around as the Fury pounces upon him with a growl. The Slayer grunts as he is knocked back into the elevator and the doors close. He looks up at her as the elevator begins to move towards the next floor. After a few seconds, Vespasia reaches up and hits the emergency stop button. Her eyes then look back down into his as she sits upon him, grinning as they lock eyes. It doesn't take long for him to connect the dots and a grin of his own appears upon his face. "Mio vespa impertinente," he says to her as he sits up, his hand sliding against her cheek…

**~A couple of hours later~**

Jackson yawns softly as he steps into the elevator. He had a tough time getting the motivation to rise up and inspect the ship he was going to be in charge of. It was good to see that some things did not change, no matter how much time had passed between the last occurrence. He scratches the back of his head as the door slides to a close, humming as it zips along the center of the ship. Had it not been for the continued pestering of the current person in charge of the _Midway_, a Lieutenant Commander Darryl Halloway, Jax would have continued to nap away the day, night, or whatever it was. He adjusts the coat he wore once more before the doors opened to the massive flight deck of the Dreadnought. He walks across the busy area towards one of the parked A-model Kodiaks. A group of pilots was gathered around it, making small talk. When one of the group sees him, he nudges his companions and they all snap to attention.

The Vanguard frowns at the near instant recognition and looks down, noticing he had forgotten to take his rank off. The Slayer chuckles and salutes them before putting them at ease. "What can we do for you, Major?" one of the pilots asks. "Well, normally, I'd be asking for one of your number to come with me on a dangerous mission. I would need a pilot with excellent reflexes, nerves of steel, and the heart of a lion. But, unfortunately, all I really need is a taxi driver as it were. I need to get over to the _Midway_. And since they won't let me try and jump from ship to ship under my own power, and I can't 'commandeer' a vessel, I need a lift," Jackson explains with a slight nod. The pilots have a quiet laugh about the major's request before one of them steps forward. "I'll do it, sir. We should be ready to leave in about, twenty mikes," the pilot says, crossing his arms over his chest. "That will take too long. Make ready to depart immediately, you have five minutes. I will take care of Hangar Control," the N7 says as he begins walking away.

Five minutes later, the Vanguard walks back, his stride holding the same quiet confidence it did when he left. The pilots were still gathered around the parked Kodiak, all minus the pilot who had volunteered to fly him over to his ship. The group pops to attention again once they see him, and he quickly puts them at ease. "Is my Kodiak ready to fly?" Jackson asks as he comes to a stop. "Yessir. The pilot is in and all preflight checks are done. Now all we need it flight clearance," one of the pilots replies. "Good good. We have clearance so I shall leave immediately. Thanks for helping out," the Slayer says as he moves past them to board the shuttle. "Wait…it usually takes at least fifteen minutes to get clearance. How did you do it so fast?" another of the pilots asks. Jax merely smiles. "Rank has its privileges. That, and you really don't want an angry Vanguard with you when you are trapped in a small room," he replies with a broad tooth filled smirk. The pilots stare incredulously at him for a few moments before breaking down into laughter. Satisfied with their reaction, Jax slips into the shuttle and seals the hatch behind him.

The shuttle ride is quick. The pilot took the time to circle the frigate as it floats in the shadow of the Dreadnought. Its color scheme was quite different from the _SSV Normandy's_. A majority of the vessel was a matte black. The primary lines, highlights, and the letters for the ship had been painted Alliance Blue. Whatever was left, including the Alliance symbol and the numbers, were painted white. The_ SSV Midway SR-5_. Jackson smirks as they circle around and prepare for landing. He had seen vids of what the SR-2 had been capable of, and he was eager to try it out on a ship of his own. Hopefully, there was a pilot that could match the agility and reflexes that Flight Lieutenant Moreau displayed with the _SSV Normandy_. Either way, his pilot would have to be pretty hot on the sticks to impress him. The shuttle comes about and carefully slips into the massive open landing bay that had opened for them.

The hatch opens up once the bay is sealed and the major waits at the edge of the small transport, looking out into the bay . There were at least thirty men and women standing there at attention. They wore their dress uniforms and, from the few faces he could properly see, looked uncomfortable. Standing out in front of them all, in a uniform so crisp it could probably cut someone, was Lieutenant Commander Darryl Halloway. "Permission to come aboard?" Jackson asks, leveling his gaze upon the man. "Permission granted. Welcome aboard the _SSV Midway SR-5_," Commander Halloway answers as he moves out of the way. The major steps down onto the deck and grins. "Effective immediately, you are now the commanding officer of this Alliance Frigate, Major Willis. The _Midway_ is now yours," Darryl adds as he salutes the Vanguard. Jackson turns and returns the salute.

"Alright then, I want everyone to get changed and get back to their stations. I will be coming around to inspect things in a half an hour. You are dismissed!" Jackson shouts. The crew quickly begins dispersing from the area, leaving Halloway and Willis standing in the bay. "Darryl Halloway. Lieutenant Commander. Fast riser through the ranks. A decent tactician when it comes to starship battles," Jackson says, breaking the silence that had befallen them. The Commander smiles and seems to stand a bit taller at the mention of his accolades. "Never seen ground combat. Son of a diplomat. Some attribute your rise in rank to your mother's influence. But others know that you are quite good at working the system as it were," the Vanguard continues as he begins walking to the now empty elevator. The former commanding officer of the _SSV Midway_ follows behind him, frowning at his words.

"What are you trying to imply, sir?" Halloway asks as the door slides shut behind them. "I'm not trying to imply anything. I am merely informing you of what I had heard. That is all. Nothing more nothing less," Jackson answers before looking at the other officer, "Seeing as how you are in your dress uniform, I take it that you have removed all of your personal effects from my cabin?" Darryl nods lightly. "Yes Major, all of my things have been moved to the executive officer cabin," he reports. The Vanguard merely nods as the elevator comes to a stop at the third deck. "Good. Have the Yeoman send for my things from the _Kilimanjaro_. I'll be in my cabin, I need to figure out how I'm going to set up everything," Jackson says as he gestures towards the open door. The commander nods before quietly walking out onto the Crew Deck. The Vanguard shakes his head as the door slowly closes and takes him higher.

At the appointed time, Jackson descends from his cabin to the CIC. As the door slides open, Jackson sweeps his azure gaze across the area. The crews were at their stations, trying to look as busy as they could while the ship merely kept pace with the rest of the orbiting fleet. Standing in front of the galaxy map was Lieutenant Commander Halloway. The Slayer steps out of the elevator and clasps his hands behind his back. "Officer on deck!" shouts one of the security officers. Jackson chuckles and lets his gaze sweep across the rapidly moving crew members. "At ease at ease," the major says as he walks in far enough for the elevator doors to close. The crew returns to their work as he begins to inspect the area. Commander Halloway falls in behind the major, quietly observing. Jackson is quiet for the most part, content currently with just observing the crew members. He would occasionally ask questions with acceptable responses. It would seem he had quite the competent crew. Halloway had been assigned a fine group of marines. Jackson keys the door to the cockpit and is greeted by the sounds of someone singing rock in Japanese.

The vanguard chuckles softly and continues into the cockpit, vaguely aware of the disdain that was on the face of the commander behind him. The person who was sitting in the pilot's chair seemed to be unaware of his presence as he continues closer. Her dark brown hair was tied back in ponytail that was currently draped over her left shoulder. She seemed full of energy as she sang along with the artist blaring through the speakers. Jax's azure eyes briefly move over the glowing control panel before he finds the mute button. He reaches out and presses it, earning the pilot's hand wrapping around his forearm a split second later. "Who the fu-" is all she gets out before she looks up into his face. Her olive colored eyes widen slightly before she pulls back her hand and springs to her feet. Jax could see Commander Halloway preparing to shout, but he holds up his gloved left hand to stop him. "I'm sorry sir! I didn't hear you come in. Usually COs don't want to meet the pilots. Usually they are stuck up and so full of themselves they don't think of those who have to swing these girls through space and between anything that might want to do them harm. And I've overstepped myself haven't I?" she asks, ending her ramble.

Jackson turns around to gauge Halloway's reaction. As the major figured, the lieutenant commander was livid. His eyes burned with anger and the muscles in his jaw were tense enough to stand out against his skin. The N7, however, smiles. "What is your name Flight Lieutenant?" the Slayer asks after a moment passes. "Lieutenant Mizu Carthage, sir," she replies quickly. "Well, Lieutenant Carthage, I must say that you have shown you have decent reflexes. That is good, but reflexes of the body are one thing. I need to see how you handle this craft," Jax says as he gestures to the pilot's chair. A mischievous smirk appears upon Mizu's face as she sits back down. Before she touches the flight systems, she turns and looks back at him. "I can put her through her paces, but if you want me to show you all she has to offer, I need to know that I won't get my flying status revoked for what I am about to do," the pilot says, her voice dead serious. The N7 responds with a smirk before going over to the communications panel.

He taps in a quick code and after a few moments, Admiral Hackett's voice comes through the bridge speakers. "This is Admiral Hackett. Willis, I take it you have gotten settled on your new ship?" the elder officer's disembodied voice asks. "Just about, sir. I am just going to need a bit of amnesty for what the _Midway_ is about to do. I have to put my ship through her paces and there isn't much in the way of an obstacle course nearby. Besides the obvious," Jax responds. There are a few moments of silence before the reply comes. "Do you trust this pilot of yours?" the admiral inquires. "Why yes I do. If I didn't I wouldn't be making such a request," the major answers simply. "Alright then. I will make sure that the rest of the Alliance Brass overlooks this. Hackett out." With that done, the Slayer stands back and holds his hands up. "Alright boys and girls, strap yourselves in. The new CO wants to see what this ship can do, and I aim to show him," Mizu announces over the ship wide intercom. He catches that smirk once more upon her face before her fingers fly across the control board.

Jackson steps back slightly, to brace himself, as the ship leaps forward. It was angled towards the tail end of a carrier floating out in front of them. He crosses his arms over his chest as he watches out of the front viewport, a small grin appearing on his lips. The _Midway_ spins to starboard at the last instant, narrowly missing trading paint with the other ship. Jax nods as the ship pulls up and rolls again as it shoots across the top of the carrier. The pilot angles the frigate out to the rest of the fleet and guns the engines. The major continues to stand there as the agile vessel dips and weaves between vessels, evading the other ships by narrow margins. Once she had gone past all the other ships of the fleet, Mizu brings the _Midway_ to fly alongside the _Kilimanjaro_. Sometime during the exercise, Lieutenant Commander Halloway had made his way over to one of the copilot chairs and was now slowly releasing his grip on the seat.

"And that is how she operates in combat operations. I can make this girl do things that would make the fighter pilots a little nervous," Mizu announces proudly as she leans back into her seat. "Flight Lieutenant Carthage! That was the most foolish and dangerous misuse of military equipment I have ever seen! Your blatant disregard for the rules and regulations set forth is-" the commander starts in on the pilot. "Exactly what I am looking for," Jax cuts in with a laugh. Halloway turns on him and stares, mouth agape. "But sir-!" he tries to get out. "My ship, my rules. We are about to venture after an unknown enemy into who knows what kind of territory. We could be ambushed at any moment, and I need a pilot who has the ba-guts to do what is necessary to keep the ship in one piece," the Slayer snarls back at him. Halloway jerks back as if physically stricken and turns his eyes away, avoiding the seething gaze of his superior officer.

Jax then turns to Mizu, whose eyes were wide after watching the verbal bitchslap, and smiles. "Thank you for following orders Lieutenant and showing me what my ship is capable of. You handle her well and I am glad to have you as a part of my crew," he says. Lieutenant Carthage nods slowly, still processing the major change the major had gone through. "Aye aye sir," she says softly. With that being said, the Slayer turns and heads out of the cockpit, followed closely by Lieutenant Commander Halloway. The Vanguard makes his way to the back of the CIC and keys up his personal computer. He sends a message out to his team, telling them to be prepared to disembark from the _Kilimanjaro_ in an hour and a half. With the message sent, he closes the terminal down and turns around to lock eyes with Halloway. The commander meets his gaze evenly, curiosity playing across his features. "Follow me to the conference room," the Slayer says simply before exiting the CIC .

Jackson enters the room and goes to stand at the far side of it, looking at the blackened monitor that took up a good portion of the wall. He hears the whisper of the doors open and he clasps his hands behind his lower back before turning around to look at Halloway. "What seems to be th-" the lieutenant commander begins to ask. "You are Halloway, you are. You are far too uptight for this outfit and you are bringing down the morale of my crew. That just will not do. On this mission, I am going to need every man and woman at my command working in sync to the best of their abilities. I need a binding force that will make them want to give their lives for one another. I don't see that. What I see is a rigid structure that will break under the slightest stress. A dry twig that will snap when bent.

"I have searched for the underlying cause of this problem, and the answer is you. You are used to running things by the numbers, following rules and regulations to the tee. That is all fine and dandy on a normal Alliance starship, but this is an N7 frigate. I am not going to have things rigid here and with your viewpoint being the total opposite of my own, I cannot have you as my Executive Officer. As of right now, you are relieved of your post as Executive Officer of the _SSV Midway SR-5_. You have an hour to pack your things and move over to the _Kilimanjaro_. If you do not vacate the room you have taken within the allotted time, then you will have to butt heads with the XO that will be replacing you. And I can promise you that he will not be so friendly about moving you from his space as I am," Jackson says as he stares the man down . The commander slowly opens and closes his mouth, trying to find the words to offer in rebuttal, but none come.

Jackson watches as rage begins to fill the other officer's features. It started in his eyes and slowly spread out across his body. The N7 grins and shakes his head. "Look at you, freezing under pressure. All revved up, but nowhere to go. How disgusting," the Vanguard adds with a sneer. Halloway lets out an unintelligible noise and charges at him. How very silly of him. Jax brings his hands out of his pockets and takes a slight step back. The commander lowers his upper body to tackle the major, but his shoulder never connects. Jackson's left hand pushes up on Halloway's right arm, while his left hand pushes down on the back of Halloway's neck. The man's body begins to spin as the forward momentum is shifted in a direction he was not expecting. He turns one full revolution before his face is hit by a quick knee, resulting in a loud crunch. Halloway falls to the ground, grasping his nose and arching his back in pain. Red blood flows freely through his fingers.

"A real smart move charging a marine whose job it is to be an expert at close combat. Go and see the doctor and then clear out the XO room. Try not to spill too much blood on the deck as you go, because you will be the one cleaning it up," Major Willis says as he places his hands back in his pockets. The N7 then heads out of the conference room, leaving the man to bleed on the ground and think about the choices in his life that had led to this incident.

**~One and half hours later~**

Jackson smiles as he stands in front of the interior airlock door. The portal beeps and slides away with a hiss. His eyes move over the four women and two men standing in the airlock. At their front, his brother, Staff Commander Trenton Willis comes to a stop and salutes. "Permission to come aboard, sir?" the amber eyed male requests, a grin on his face. The Slayer returns the salute with a smile before nodding. "Permission granted, welcome aboard, our new home, the _SSV Midway_," the major says as he turns and begins walking deeper into the ship, the rest of the team following him. "She looks to be a thing of beauty. I saw some of the maneuvers she was pulling yesterday and I was quite impressed by the skill with which the pilot handled her. Can I meet him?" Fae asks.

"Her actually and maybe later Lieutenant Fae. Right now, you all need to get settled in. We will be departing from the fleet soon," the Vanguard announces. There were noises of agreement as they all head to the elevator. Before they reach it, the door slides open to reveal Lieutenant Commander Halloway, broken nose bandaged and in a clean uniform. His eyes widen slightly as they move across the wall of living intimidation before him. "Who's this wimp?" Vespasia inquires, a slight sneer appearing on her face. "Him? Oh, he's just the former XO of this vessel. One Lieutenant Commander Halloway," Jax explains in an offhanded manner. "What happened to his face?" Reden asks, keeping his gaze fixated on the man. "Oh that? He had a nasty run in with the 'barrier'. He was fortunate that all he broke was his nose," the major answers, finally letting his azure gaze move to the now shaking lieutenant commander.

"A 'barrier' you say? Well then, it is a good thing he is vacating my spot. Anyone who has a run in with said barrier must have been asking for it," Trenton says as he takes a step forward. Commander Halloway visibly shrinks back from him. "Pathetic," Rin comments. "Yeah! You call yourself a man? Pfft I've seen colonists on Feros with more backbone than you," Vespa adds on. "Alright marines, save it for a real enemy. Unfortunately, he is one of our own and we don't do blue on blue. Sights, take Lieutenant Commander Halloway here and escort him off of the ship. 808, I know she doesn't need it with him, but you will assist her. We are a team now, so we watch over our own, no matter how little of a threat something may pose. Everyone else, your equipment is in the hangar along with your room assignment. Grab your gear and take it to your bunk. After we leave the fleet, I will give a briefing on our first mission. That is all, you are dismissed," Jax commands.

The N7s resound with an "Aye, sir." and go about the tasks assigned to them. Jackson watches them quietly and smiles. He had a good team and a good crew. Even though this mission gave him an uneasy feeling deep within his stomach, he felt confident about their ability to survive and complete the task given to them to the utmost of their abilities.


End file.
